


Arguments

by GoldfishThePowerful



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Other, Reader-Insert, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 00:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30114663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldfishThePowerful/pseuds/GoldfishThePowerful
Summary: We all love our boys, but we know they ain’t perfect. All couples have at least one big fight, right? And they always make up afterwards, right? All of these are going to be Student x gn!reader where Reader is a student at NRC (i.e. not necessarily MC). I’m starting with the dorm leaders, but if there’s enough support for other characters, I’ll consider doing them as well.
Relationships: Azul Ashengrotto/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Arguments

**Author's Note:**

> Azul was crafty. That was part of what drew you to him in the first place. But now, it seems that the exact thing that brought you together would drive you apart. Azul x gn!reader.

You arrived early at the Monstro Lounge. Azul had requested you arrive at 5:30 so you could depart together for your reservation that night. But you were already ready and couldn’t stand to wait any longer. It wouldn’t be a problem to arrive a few minutes early. You opened the door to the VIP room and peered inside to see Azul seated at his desk pouring over some papers. He glanced up at the door and saw you. His face lit up for a fraction of a second before he caught himself. He cleared his throat, trying to hide his excitement. “(Y/N),” he smiled, “you’re early. What a pleasant surprise.”

You grinned at him mischievously as you closed the door behind you. “Oh, you know me… Just couldn’t wait.”

Azul looked over his papers “I’m almost done here. Won’t you please have a-” Azul looked up to see you already sitting on the sofa, leaning on the arm and gazing at him. He couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”

You sat on the sofa, cheek rested on your fist, watching Azul’s eyes darting intently from page to page. Occasionally he would pull out a second paper or file from his desk, consult it, then continue writing. Despite how much you liked looking at Azul, you could feel yourself becoming antsy again. You sighed and began searching for other ways to occupy yourself. The clam-shaped bowl of andes mints on the table caught your eye, and you got an idea.

Azul chatted as he worked, trying to break up the silence. “I’m pretty confident that you’ll like the place I’ve picked out, It-” Azul stopped short, doing a small double take. “(Y/N)?” It seems that the nearly 4-inch tall jenga tower of chocolates you were in the process of constructing had caught his eye. He squinted inquisitively at you. “What are you… never mind.”

“What?” you said, feigning innocence. “Idle hands do the devil’s work. Or idle tentacles, a s the case may be.”

“Ha ha,” Azul laughed sarcastically, though you could tell he found your joke funnier than he was willing to let on. “If your hands are so idle, why don’t you put those back and get me a file from on that shelf. I believe Jade left some there earlier.”

“Hold on, just let me…” you gleefully pulled out a load-bearing chocolate and watched the tower tip and collapse. “Timber!” Having had your fun, you scooped them back into the bowl, stood up, and walked to the shelf Azul had pointed at. It was mostly filled with books, but it seemed that a few manila envelopes were stacked in a vacant space. Each one had a label written in Azul’s looping script. One said ‘E-F’, another read ‘S-T’. “These it?” you asked.

“Yes, just bring me the one labelled M-N, if you wouldn’t mind.” 

You picked up the stack and flipped through them. They were heavier than expected. “What’s in these, anyway?” you asked. 

“Finance papers,” Azul answered without looking up.

You looked quizzically at him. “You alphabetize your finances?”

Azul shrugged. “I’m just meticulous like that.” You didn’t quite believe him, but considering the details of his operation, you thought it best to leave it be. You carried over the stack of files and held out the one he requested. He smiled gratefully at you, taking the envelope with one hand and your hand in the other. “Thank you, dearest.” Gently, he pulled you toward him, taunting you with that smile of his. You rolled your eyes at him, planting a quick kiss on his brow. 

“There,” you patted his hand. “Now hurry up so we can get going already!” Azul adjusted his glasses, clearly satisfied with himself, and went back to work. You held out the rest of the envelopes. “Where do these go?” 

Azul waved his hand. “Just put them back on the shelf. I can file those tomorrow.” You walked back to the shelf and returned the envelopes to their place. You desperately wanted to peek inside, but you figured Azul wouldn’t take too kindly to that. That would have been the end of it if you hadn’t spotted another file you hadn’t seen earlier. Tucked behind the many books on the shelf, you could see the edge of a file folder.

“What an odd place to keep something like that,” you thought to yourself. Thinking no harm in satisfying your curiosity just a smidge, you pulled the folder out a little further to see the label. Written in Azul’s same careful hand, you saw “(L/N), (Y/N)”. 

You. Azul had a file on  _ you _ . Your eyes widened. From what little Azul had let slide about his business, you knew he only kept dedicated files on ‘persons of interest’, whatever that meant. Quickly, you took a peek over your shoulder. Azul was still immersed in his work. If you were careful about it, maybe you could get the file out and learn more about what was in it. Bit by bit, you slid the folder out from behind the books while trying to make as little noise as possible. Then once it was completely freed, you checked over your shoulder one more time and pulled the folder out, careful to hide it from Azul. Once you held it in your hands, you could tell that it wasn’t exceptionally thick, but that mattered little to you. Just by quickly skimming the documents, it seemed Azul had obtained a surprising amount of information about you without your knowing. The folder held your class schedule, notes on your daily routine, your marks in all your classes, even printouts of posts from your magicam account. Then, at the very back of the file was a signature piece of golden parchment. A contract, clearly in its early-draft stage. The large print detailed an offer of free assistance on an upcoming Alchemy test. Suspicious to be sure, and if Azul had taught you anything, it was to always read the fine print. It was written in Azul’s usual flowery legalese, but you couldn’t be shaken that easily. About halfway down the block of text, one phrase in particular struck you like lightning. “Payment by the client for services rendered by the contractor in this and future transactions will take the form of romantic engagements, the details of which are included in section 2c paragraph 3.” 

“And that should be just about it.” Azul began tidying up the papers on his desk and returning them to their proper places. He stood up, and grabbed his coat and hat. “Are you ready to go, dearest?” You stood silently. What could you say? “(Y/N)? Is something-” 

Slowly, you turned around holding the folder. “Azul, what is this?” 

Azul’s eyes went wide and he froze, mouth slightly agape. He was nearly breathless when he spoke. “How did you-”

You didn’t give him a chance to finish. Eyes burning, you pressed him further. “This is your one and only chance to answer me, Azul. What is this and why do you have it?”

You had never seen Azul as flustered as he was now. “Darling, I promise this isn’t what you think it is.”

“Oh, isn’t it now?” you challenged. “Let me refresh your memory on what’s in here.” You marched over to his desk, open file in hand, and began emptying it piece by piece. “Let’s see… you have a class schedule that I don’t remember giving you, my personal schedule which I  _ know _ I didn’t give to you-”

Azul held out a hand to stop you. “Darling, please…”

Unmoved, you pulled the file out of his reach and glared at him. “What else... There’s a summary of last semester’s grades (wonder how you got those), a couple of magicam posts from months ago, and look at that! All of these contain extensive notes on my personal habits and preferences. Gosh, Azul, you are nothing if not thorough.” 

“(Y/N), just let me explain,” he pleaded. 

“No need,” you said, your voice dripping with sarcasm. “I have all the explanations I need here, written in your hand.” You held up the final document in the folder: the contract. “I’m sure this looks familiar. Nonetheless, let me jog your memory,” You unfolded the paper and began reading. “I hope you’ll forgive me if I skip to the pertinent section. Ahem. ‘The undersigned hereby agrees to receive scholastic assistance from the contractor from the date of signing until the Alchemy test taking place on [date TBD].’”

Azul, who already seemed to be recovering from the initial shock of you discovering the file, interrupted you. “That’s a standard clause in my tutoring contracts. I don’t see how this is relevant.”

You held up a finger to shush him, and kept reading. “‘By signing this contract, the contractor also agrees to charge no monetary reimbursement in return for the services promised in this agreement.’ Doesn’t that seem a little odd to you Azul?”

Azul adjusted his glasses. “I don’t know what you are referring to.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t play dumb, Azul. It’s not a good look for you. Doesn’t it seem a little (pardon the term) fishy that you would offer your coveted Alchemy notes for free?”

Cracks continued to appear in Azul’s cool demeanor, this time in the form of him subtly gripping and releasing the edge of his desk. “If this  _ were  _ one of my contracts, I should think that me offering my services for free would be considered very selfless.”

“My point exactly,” you deadpanned. “That’s not really your brand. So of course I look at the fine print, and what do you think I found Azul?”

Azul reached for your hand. “Angelfish, I-”

“Don’t ‘Angelfish’ me,” you yelled as you snatched your hand away. “In the fine print it says, ‘Payment by the client for… yada yada yada… will take the form of romantic engagements.’” You stared at Azul. “You got anything to say about that?” Azul bit his lip, obviously trying to think of a comeback. “No? Well, let’s see what else is in here. Here we are: Section 2c paragraph 3: Payment Plan. ‘Reimbursement for the stated services will be paid in biweekly installments… yada yada yada… Failure to comply with the payment plan stated above will result in termination of the contract and the contractor retaining collateral which, unless established at the time of signing, will automatically take the form of the client’s undying devotion.’” You paused to give Azul another baffled look. “What the hell, Azul?”

Azul held out a hand. “In my defense,” he said quickly, “that is by and large a standard clause in most of my contracts.”

“Oh really,” you said, unimpressed. “I didn’t realize everyone else was paying you in long walks and candlelit dinners.”

“Angelfish,” he said desperately, “this is all a big misunderstanding. If you would just listen-”

You were too hysterical to be interested in listening. “God, how could I be so gullible?” you shouted, “Have you been using me this whole time? What kind of question is that? Of course you have! With all the favors, and the sweet talk, and ‘oh, allow me to walk you to class’, and ‘let me carry that for you, I insist.’ All of it was just buttering me up for  _ this _ .” You crushed the contract in your fist and slammed it down on the table. “I can’t believe I played right into your hands,” You shouted as you began pacing nervously around the room. “Everything makes so much sense now. Well, I guess I should be congratulating you on a job well done. You caught me, hook line and sinker. And I suppose I should also say you’re welcome for making your job easy by being your complicit, unwitting pawn.” Eventually, your fountain of anger ran dry. Azul had used you, but weren’t you at least a bit accountable for falling for such an obvious trick by the shadiest student at NRC? It was as much your fault as it was his. 

Azul was staring at you, shocked and hurt. “(Y/N),” he said, his voice only wavering slightly, “I could never hurt you. You know that, right?”

He looked to you, awaiting your answer. You closed your eyes and took a deep, breath. “I wish that were true, Azul.” When you opened your eyes again, Azul was still there, staring back at you with his sad blue eyes. Those eyes could make you do anything, and you were just starting to learn the danger of that fact. Azul began moving towards you, arms outstretched. You so wanted to fall into those arms. You wanted to sign away your heart and have Azul hold you forever. You wanted to forget all of this, and all it would take was melting into his embrace. 

But there was no undoing what had been done, and no point in making a mistake if you didn’t learn from it. At the last moment, you pulled away. “I can’t do this. Find yourself a new mark to swindle.” You began walking toward the door, Azul on your heels. 

“(Y/N), please! Wait!” he begged, “Just give me a chance to-” You didn’t hear what he said next. You were already out the door. 

* * *

The door slammed in Azul’s face, cutting him off. His shoulders fell, the gravity of his blunder crashing in on him. He could hardly keep track of how everything went so badly so quickly. He felt useless, almost numb, as he returned to his desk. He leaned over it, staring angrily at the papers that remained scattered across his desk and the crumpled piece of golden parchment. He had ruined everything with one stupid mistake. Azul had ruined everything. In a fit of anger, he slammed the desk and shoved all the papers off. They fluttered quietly to the floor. Azul sniffed. He could feel tears beginning to prick his eyes, but didn’t bother wiping them away. Instead he rested his elbows on his desk and his head in his hands. He wanted to hole up somewhere and have himself a good cry, but he could hear his door opening. Looking up, he saw the twins looking confused and concerned. 

“Did (Y/N) just leave?” Jade asked carefully. Azul just nodded.

“Do- do you want us to go get them?” Floyd asked.

“No,” Azul sighed. This was a game he just couldn’t win. 

“Aren’t you going to go talk to them?” Jade insisted. 

“What’s the point?” Azul shook his head. “I can’t salvage this one.”

“Of course you can!” Floyd objected. 

Jade glanced down at the scattered file on the floor, quickly putting the pieces together. “I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding,” he soothed, “Just go and explain yourself to them.”

“You saw how they left,” Azul lamented. “They don’t want an explanation. They hate me now.”

Jade smiled cryptically. “Kufufu. You think that only because you are too close to the situation. A pearl doesn’t know what the outside of its oyster looks like. Just go talk to them.”

Floyd perked up. “If you don’t want to do that, I could always go squeeze them.”

“NO,” Azul ordered. 

“He’ll do it, Azul,” Jade assured him. “You really ought to go sort this out yourself.”

“Yeah…” Azul sighed.

Jade nodded approvingly, then looked at Floyd as if to say, “Our work here is done. Let’s go.” Floyd obediently left the room with Jade close behind. Before he left, he said to Azul, “I’ve given my advice, Azul, but if you desire our assistance in the matter-”

Azul cut him off with a wave of his hand. Jade nodded and closed the door behind him. Azul stood upright and leaned against the wall. He despised the fact that Jade was right. This couldn’t be remedied by feeling sorry for himself. He sniffed again and used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away the tears that had continued to accumulate on his cheeks. He took a deep breath and began forming plans for the most important negotiation he had yet undertaken.

* * *

When you finally reached your room, you angrily undressed. You shrugged off your stifling formal wear and kicked off your shoes, switching to sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. You flopped down on your bed, burying your face in a pillow. You hated Azul. “I hate Azul,” you thought to yourself. This was simply a sign of things to come, and it was probably best that the two of you part ways. 

You kind of lost track of time, and you’re not sure when you started crying, but at some point, you heard a soft knock at your door. You groaned into your pillow. Jade and Floyd had looked at you funny as you rushed out of the Monstro Lounge. Azul probably sent one of them to try and smooth things over, and judging by the politeness of the knocks, it probably wasn’t Floyd. You pulled your face out of your pillow to shout at the door. “Get lost, Jade. If Azul wants to apologize he can come do it himself.”

You were surprised and more than a little embarrassed to hear Azul on the other side of the door. “(Y/N)? Can we talk?” You sullenly made your way to the door and opened it. Azul was standing at your door with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a delicious looking drink. 

“Talk?” you asked incredulously. 

“Yes,” he replied. “May I come in?”

You dodged the question by pointing to the cup and saying, “Is that what I think it is?”

“A peace offering,” he explained, “I had Jade make it special for you.”

“So you’re trying to bribe me now?” you glowered.

“Not a bribe,” Azul insisted, “A deal: I’ll give you the drink in exchange for allowing me to explain myself.”

“I don’t want the stupid drink,” you lied.

“In that case, I’ll explain myself in exchange for you taking it off my hands.” He could see his offer had little effect. “(Y/N), please. You deserve an explanation.”

You locked eyes with Azul. You’re not sure what kind of explanation Azul thought could absolve himself of blame, but his intent seemed genuine. Reluctantly, you stepped aside and gestured Azul into the room. As he crossed the threshold, he removed his hat and held the drink out to you. You took it with some hesitation and quickly took a sip. Of course it was your favorite. Azul knew you too well to bring anything else. Glumly, you sat on the edge of your bed. “Ok. Start talking.”

Azul carefully set his hat on your dresser before shoving his hands into his pockets. He closed his eyes and took a breath. “I did create the file you found today. I won’t deny that. However, the information was compiled entirely from public documents or keen observation. I never consulted any information that I was not already privy to.”

You interrupted him. “Then how’d you get my grades?”

Azul nervously adjusted his glasses. “We, er, don’t actually have your exact grades. They’re just estimates.”

“Estimates? Based on…”

“A variety of things,” Azul explained. “Class averages, your overall academic standing, and… any assignments of yours we  _ happened _ to see.”

“And my schedule? I assume that had something to do with Floyd walking me to classes all the time?” 

Azul cleared his throat. “I had specifically instructed him to avoid being so intrusive, but yes. So as you can see, I never did anything that could be considered-”

You waved him off. “Yeah, whatever.” Of course Azul wouldn’t break any rules; It was bad for business. “But how does that change anything? The contract. What loopholes did you exploit for that?”

Azul ran a hand through his hair. “Yes… That.” He looked tired as he took a seat beside you on the bed, elbows on his knees. “That, I had actually drafted about a month before we started dating. At the time, I thought that it was the only way to… But after the first revision it just felt wrong. If- Part of me knew if you signed that, you would never forgive me. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you, so I just… held onto it, I guess. I was going to give it an honest try, and if that didn’t work, I’d have a fail safe.” He removed his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. “God, it sounds so terrible saying it out loud.” You felt inclined to tell him you agreed, but held your tongue. “But once we started dating, I just sort of forgot about it? I should have shredded it. Logically, there was no longer a need for it. But it just sort of collected dust until yesterday. I was purging the files and I was so close to getting rid of it. That’s why it was sitting out.” Azul put his glasses back on, took a deep breath, and sat up. 

“Why didn’t you shred it?” you asked.

Azul waited a while before answering. He stared at the wall, lost in thought, then said quietly “I was afraid I still needed it. That you would change your mind when you realized that you were dating a dumb, fat, stupid octopus.” He spat the last words at the wall through gritted teeth, then chuckled darkly. “But I guess that’s what’s happening anyway. Best laid plans, right?”

Your expression softened. “I don’t think you’re stupid, Azul,” you consoled. 

He seemed to ignore you as he continued to stare forward. “No. You of all people shouldn’t pity me. After what I did?” 

Quietly, you set your cup on the ground and reached around Azul’s shoulders. You pulled him into you, rubbing his arm gently. Azul put up little resistance, bending like grass in the wind with his hands limply in his lap. You sat like that quite some time, Azul leaning on your shoulder staring ahead into the wall. You also stared blankly ahead, but glanced over at him when you felt his shoulders tremble slightly. A few tears were rolling down his cheeks. Azul’s actions left you still a little sore, but another part of you couldn’t stand to see Azul cry. 

You sighed, “C’mere,” and scooted closer to him. You guided his head to your shoulder and wrapped your arms around him. Azul settled into your grasp as you began to rub circles on his back. You heard him saying something almost too soft to hear.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” he choked out. 

“Shhh…” you soothed as you began to stroke his hair. “I know, Azul.”

“How do I make it up to you?” he whispered between sobs, “Please, I’ll do anything.” 

You couldn’t help but sigh again at Azul’s obvious distress. Azul, even at his lowest, was still a businessman who knew the danger inherent in the word ‘anything’. And yet here he was, promising you  _ anything _ . He would follow through on whatever you asked of him, and you couldn’t say you didn’t consider taking up his offer. Still, you knew you wouldn’t. It would be cruel to let him continue like this. “Tell you what,” you offered, “We’ll go back to the lounge, you’ll burn that file, and we’ll take it from there. Okay?”

Azul said nothing, but nodded into your shoulder. You planted a kiss on the top of his head and stood up. Before you could get any distance, however, Azul had grabbed onto your hand and tugged on it gently. He kept his eyes on the floor, too proud to let you see his tears. You smiled inwardly. The boy was an octopus at heart; soft, clever, and unwilling to let you go. You sat back down and wrapped your arms around Azul again. “I suppose we can wait a few minutes,” you chuckled to yourself. As soon as you sat down, Azul had his arms tight around you as if you would float away if he let go. You glanced down at Azul’s face. His eyes were closed tightly and his lashes were wet with tears. His lips were slightly parted as he took deep breaths. 

“I love you, (Y/N),” he said between breaths. “I love you so much.”

You cupped his face in your hand and thumbed away some of his tears. “I love you too, Azul. You don’t need a contract for that.” In a way, you felt like you did have a contract with Azul. He held your heart in his hands and could toy with it as much as he desired, but he tried not to out of love for you. You didn’t say this, of course. Instead, you just relaxed into Azul’s grip and relished the pulse of his breath like the ebb and flow of the tides. 


End file.
